


Before There Was Light

by Finale



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M, canon character death, or at least the lead up to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-07 23:16:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11069112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finale/pseuds/Finale
Summary: His Mom is dying. Will he get the chance to say goodbye?





	Before There Was Light

**Author's Note:**

> Posted this a while ago on tumblr, finally decided to cross post it here...

Hal grins down at Bruce, the Gotham billionaire giving the Air Force pilot an exasperated stare. Hal is perched on top of a wall; he’d been doing his flight records and enjoying a bit of privacy. What he hadn’t known was that his boyfriend of almost a year was coming to surprise him out on base. Had he Hal would have actually done his paperwork in a normal location.

“Hey Spooky,” he says cheerfully, ignoring the scowl that earns him.

Almost two month’s earlier he’d accidentally found out about Bruce being Batman. The Gotham vigilante had only been active for two years so far and Hal hadn’t expected the weird door behind the clock would lead him to the Batcave. Bruce had not been happy, but they’d talked about keeping major secrets and why Hal wasn’t allowed to suck Bruce off in the Batsuit (which he still kinda wants to do). And why they weren’t going to have sex in the Cave (which they did, so Hal has hope about the blow job issue).

“According to Major Locke you have a missed call from your brother Jack,” Bruce says. “Says it’s a family emergency.”

“Playing messenger for a Major?” Hal teases, hopping off the wall. “And it’s gotta be an emergency if Jack’s deigning to talk to me.” He hopes Bruce misses the bitterness.

By the way Bruce takes his hand gives him a gentle squeeze he guess not, but Hal just forces a smile. At least he has Bruce. Hal brushes a kiss against the Gothamite’s cheek, trying to remember where his cellphone is. It must be a big emergency for Jack to have called the base. Then again, Hal hasn’t spoken to his older brother in years, not since after the first time Hal tried to come home after freshman year at Air Force Academy. He’d never made that mistake again.

They head back to Hal’s room on base; as an officer he has his own space thankfully. He’s thinking about getting an apartment off base. It’ll be more private and he’d like to be able to have sex without someone banging on the wall telling him and Bruce to shut up. Or maybe he’ll listen to Bruce and take the next offer of an honorable discharge and come work at Wayne Industries. Bruce had been teasing him about working as the man’s personal pilot for the past few months. Hal’s also had a few job offers from various companies like Ferris Aircrafts that made different fighter and experimental jets.

Thankfully Hal’s phone is where he vaguely remembers throwing it last night, on the side table fully charged. He has seven missed calls, all but two from Jack. He’ll check those two later. He quickly hits redial and is surprised when Jack picks up after a ring. Wow, it must be serious. Out of the corner of his eye he sees Bruce grab a book off a shelf to read; he thinks it’s Hamlet.

“Hi, noticed I had five missed calls from you and you called base. What’s wrong?” Hal asks, strolling over to a window and looking out. He spots a couple of newbies wrestling around.

“Mom’s in the hospital. The doctors don’t think she’ll make it,” Jack says bluntly, knocking all the air out of Hal. “She got diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago. She’s been undergoing chemo but it hasn’t done much good. She’s at St. John’s; Janice found her on the floor last night. Doctors think she had a stroke from the tumor. They gave her at best another month, but more likely she’s got a week. If you want to say goodbye, I suggest you try. I don’t know if she’ll actually let you in, but it’s worth a shot.”

“Mom’s dying?” Hal says faintly, barely hearing Bruce put down the book, but he does lean into his boyfriend’s supportive touch.

“She hasn’t been in the great health for years,” Jack says, coldness to his voice. “Not since you decided to join the Air Force. She spent most of her days worrying about whether you’re going to get yourself killed and she’s going get a visit from a Chaplin and a flag coming home instead of a son.”

Hal flinches. He feels Bruce gently take his phone from him. Hal doesn’t bother struggling, feeling almost numb.

“What hospital is she at?” Bruce asks. Hal can barely hear Jack’s mumbles through the phone. “I’m Bruce Wayne, Hal’s partner,” Bruce says, emphasis on the word partner. “We’ll head out of Edwards to St. John’s. Please tell your mother that Hal is coming and that he’d like to at least be given the chance to say goodbye. We’ll see you in a few hours then. Hal just needs to alert Major Locke to where he’s going. Bye.”

“My Mom’s dying,” Hal says faintly. “My Mom’s dying and I bet you anything she told Jack not to tell me. To let her die without giving me the chance to say goodbye. Not to tell me that she’s sick even.”

“That’s not going to happen Hal,” Bruce says, putting Hal’s phone down. “Go tell Major Locke what’s going on. He’ll give you leave. I’ll go call Alfred; he’ll arrange a hotel room for us. I drove out here.”

“Okay,” Hal says with a shudder.

**************************

Hal’s hands are practically shaking as they walk into the hospital a couple of hours later. Luke had no issue with giving him leave to deal with a family emergency. Bruce takes one of his hands and Hal leans against the other man. Both ignore the stunned looks that Bruce draws; the billionaire’s face is well known, especially with his sometimes eccentric actions (all done to disguise his role as Batman). Hal wonders how long it’ll take before the paps show up?

“Hi, we’re looking for Jessica Jordan’s room?” Hal asks, walking up to the main desk.

“She’s in room 28-14,” the nurse says, checking her computer. “It’s a long term care room,” she adds helpfully.

“Thanks,” Hal says with a forced smile.

He silently follows the signs leading him to his Mom’s room. He’s grateful for Bruce’s comforting presence. Ahead he can see Jim, Jack and Janice and little Jason asleep on a chair. In Janice’s arms he sees a baby sleeping; they can’t be much older than a year and he feels a sharp pang go through him. He didn’t know Jack and Janice were expecting again.

“Hal,” Jack greets coolly. “Mr. Wayne.” The surprise that crosses Jim’s face is gratifying; his older brother probably thought Bruce was lying when he gave his name earlier.

“Jack,” Hal says, equally cool. “I see you and Janice had another kid. Must have missed that phone call.”

“Must have,” Jack says, a flush rising to his cheeks. By the glare Janice is giving Jack, Hal suspects he was supposed to get a call.

“I’m going to try and talk to Mom,” Hal says, nodding hi to Jim. His younger brother his him a tense smile but Jim also calls him at least once a year. Lately he’s been calling once every three months. Hal wonders if that’s because of their Mom’s failing health 

“I’ll wait for you out here,” Bruce murmurs, giving Hal a reassuring kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

“Thanks. I love you too,” Hal says, squeezing Bruce’s hand.

“So Bruce how long have you…” passing through the door cuts off Jack’s questions.

It’s like a punch to his stomach seeing his Mom hooked up to all the machines. She seems so small, so fragile compared to when he was younger. Jessica Jordan has always been a woman much stronger than people realized, but in hindsight (and a lot of late night discussions with Bruce) she’d also been a lot more emotionally damaged and emotionally damaging than people were willing to acknowledge. He vaguely knows that they all do; he’s been in Medical enough times to be hooked up to quite a few himself. At first he thinks she’s asleep, but then he sees hazel eyes open up and an unreadable emotion fills them.

“Hi Mom,” he says softly, deciding last second to not sit down. “Jack called and told me about what happened. How are…”

“Get out,” she orders with a hiss, cutting him off. “I told you I never wanted to see you again, not as long as you’re in the Air Force. I somehow doubt that that’s changed, so get out now.”

“Mom please,” Hal says, eyes widening in alarm. “I cam to say…”

“Get out now!” she snarls. “I know you’re still flying! Do you know how horrible it is to always have half an ear listening for a phone call to telling you your child is dead? To imagine you dying the same way your father did?”

“Mom please,” Hal says, feeling his hands shake. She’s not going to say he can’t say goodbye, right? She’s not going to make him leave without getting the chance to at least say he loves her?

“Get out Harold now,” she hisses. “Get ou…!” she trails off, looking surprised.

Hal glances behind him and sees Bruce. The Gotham native has a glint in his eyes that wouldn’t look out of place behind the cowl. He hears muffled sounds from the waiting area, but no one else follows Bruce in. Hal feels his cheeks burn; oh god, had they been loud enough that Bruce and the other’s had heard?

“I’m curious Mrs. Jordan, do you really want your son to not be able to say goodbye to either parent? To be haunted by the fact that at the end of the day you decided it was more important to hold Hal to a promise you forced him to make, that he really didn’t want to because you decided you’d rather destroy his dreams because you were afraid?” Hal leans against Bruce’s supportive hand.

“Who are you?” Mom asks, giving Bruce an icy glare. 

“Bruce Wayne, Hal’s boyfriend of almost a year and owner of Wayne Industries,” Bruce says casually. “I was with Hal when Jack called to tell him about how sick you are. Hal dropped everything to come here; I heard a colonel grumbling about Hal ignoring his duties over this. And now you’re acting like Hal has no right to try and say goodbye to you? That your other sons should have lied to Hal and had Hal find out on his own?”

“Yes,” Mom says coldly, making Hal flinch.

“Why?” demands Bruce.

“Because he lied to me. Because he promised that he wouldn’t join the Air Force, wouldn’t learn to fly and then he did exactly that. Hal told me he was applying to UCLA, that he’d been given a full ride so I didn’t need to worry about tuition. He didn’t tell me he’d really been accepted to Air Force Academy and as an officer in training didn’t need to worry about tuition,” Mom hisses. “Do you know how terrifying that is? To know your child wants to do nothing more than what killed their own father? To always have half an ear out for a knock at the door, a phone call telling me that the only thing coming home is a flag?!!?”

“And so you threw him out of the house, told him to never come home again unless he did exactly what he wanted, unless he basically ruined himself,” Bruce says coldly. “Hal is miserable when he can’t fly; he’s happiest with his feet off the ground. Your husband died because of a mechanical error in the test plane he was flying. He didn’t die flying a plane into combat. You decided because you were afraid that you were going to make Hal miserable.”

Hal doesn’t say anything, can’t think of what to say. He feels nausea rising, feels like his hands are shaking. His Mom looks furious, like if she weren’t in the hospital bed she’d lunge and hit Bruce. He remembers hiding bruises from his classmates when getting changed for gym a few times. Getting hit was rare when he was a kid, but almost inevitably, would happen when he’d bring up something that would remind his Mom of his Dad. He always reminded her too much of his Dad.

“Let Hal say goodbye to you. Let him tell you what he’s been doing for the past nine years,” Bruce says. “Do you know what I would give for being able to say goodbye to my parents? To let them know about my life?”

“Mom, please,” Hal says softly. “Please…just, let me say goodbye. You’re my Mom. I love you. I know you’ve thrown out all the letters I’ve sent you over the years, all the phone calls I’ve made or voice mails I’ve left. Just, please. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Dad, didn’t get to tell him I loved him again. Let me at least do that with you.” His words break off with a choked back sob.

Hal watches Mom closes her eyes as if seeking strength. Please don’t turn me away, he thinks. Please.

“What have you been up to since I threw you out nine years ago?” she asks softly, not opening up her eyes.

“Well I’ve…” and Hal smiles, feeling Bruce’s fingers twine around his own as he tells his Mom about his military service, about his friends and meeting Bruce. As he gets to say goodbye.


End file.
